Official Blog of Author MICHAEL THOMAS BARRY.
A blog which discusses varied topics that are related to the authors many books. Michael is a columnist for CrimeMagazine.com and a reviewer for the New York Journal of Books.
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Friday, September 16, 2011

Anne Francis, Tommy Bond, Constance Moore

Who was born on this date:

Actress Anne Francis was born on September 16, 1930 in Ossining, New York. She is best known for her role in the film classic Forbidden Planet (1956). She won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy award for her role in Honey West. Francis holds the distinction of starring in the first TV series with a female detective character's name in the title. Over her career, Francis appeared in scores of TV shows and movies. She made her film debut in This Time for Keeps (1947). In her early film career, she played supporting roles in films such as: Susan Slept Here, So Young So Bad, and Bad Day at Black Rock. Her first leading role was in Blackboard Jungle (1955). Francis found success in television and appeared in numerous TV shows. Francis was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007 and died on January 2, 2011, from pancreatic cancer at a retirement home in Santa Barbara, California. Her ashes were given to family and final disposition is unknown.

Child actor Tommy Bond was born on September 16, 1926 in Dallas, Texas. He is best known for playing Butch on the Our Gang serial. Bond got his start in 1931 at the age of five when a talent scout for Hall Roach studios approached him as he was leaving a Dallas cinema with his mother. The scout asked him if he would like to act in films because he "had a great face" and set up an appointment with Hal Roach in Los Angeles. Hal Roach was gathering new talent for his popular Our Gang comedies. Bond's grandmother volunteered to drive the boy to L.A. by motor car. Bond was hired at Hal Roach Studios for the Our Gang series in the summer of 1931. He worked in Our Gang for two years, alternately appearing as a supporting character and a background actor. In late 1934, Bond left the series and returned to public school, still earning periodic bit parts in Hollywood productions. Bond returned to Our Gang on a recurring basis late in 1936, when Roach hired him to play "Butch", the neighborhood bully. While an Our Gang, Bond appeared in a number of outside films, such as those featuring fellow Hal Roach Studios with Laurel and Hardy. Throughout his lifetime, Bond appeared in over 73 films, was a charter member of the Screen Actors Guild, joining in 1937. He died on September 24, 2005 due to complications from heart disease in Los Angeles, California and is buried at Riverside national Cemetery in Riverside, California.

Who died on this date:

On September 16, 2005, actress Constance Moore died. She was born on January 18, 1920 in Sioux City, Iowa. She is best known for her musicals such as Show Business and Atlantic City and the classic 1939 movie serial Buck Rogers, in which she played Wilma Deering, the only female character in the serial. She retired from films in 1947 but made sporadic appearances over the next few decades. Moore died September 16, 2005, at the age of 85 following a long illness. She was interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles.